Zhou Zhihong, former Deputy Secretary of the Jingzhou Municipal Committee of Hubei Province and former Mayor of the Municipal Government, has been expelled from the Party and dismissed from public office.

The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China and the National Supervisory Commission announced on September 13 that, according to the Discipline Inspection Commission of Hubei Province, with the approval of the Hubei Provincial Party Committee, the Discipline Inspection Commission of Hubei Province has initiated an investigation into the serious violations of discipline and law by Zhou Zhihong, a member of the 12th Hubei Provincial Party Committee, former Deputy Secretary of the Jingzhou Municipal Party Committee, and former Mayor of Jingzhou City. Zhou Zhihong seriously violated the political discipline, organizational discipline, integrity discipline, and work discipline of the Party, which constitutes a serious violation of the law and is suspected of bribery crimes. He has not restrained himself or stopped his actions after the 18th National Congress of the Party, with serious nature and adverse effects, and should be dealt with seriously. In accordance with the relevant provisions of the "Regulations on Disciplinary Measures of the Communist Party of China," the "Supervision Law of the People's Republic of China," the "Administrative Sanctions Law for Public Officials of the People's Republic of China," etc., after discussions at the meetings of the Standing Committee of the Discipline Inspection Commission and the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee of Hubei Province, and approval by the meeting of the Standing Committee of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, it has been decided to expel Zhou Zhihong from the Party and dismiss him from public office, confiscate his ill-gotten gains from violating discipline and law, terminate his qualifications as a delegate of the 12th Hubei Provincial Party Congress and the 6th Jingzhou Municipal Party Congress, and transfer his suspected criminal issues to the procuratorial authority for examination and prosecution in accordance with the law. The punishment of expelling him from the Party will be ratified at the next full meeting of the Hubei Provincial Party Committee.